Dems open convention with prayer

August 25, 2008 9:00am

The Democratic Party convention opened with an interfaith event that included four rabbis.

The prayer readings and sermons on Sunday afternoon in Denver were part of an effort by the party and its presumptive nominee, U.S. Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.), to reclaim the faith mantle from the Republicans.

Participating rabbis included Tzvi Hersh Weinreb, who directs the Orthodox Union; Amy Schwartzman of Temple Rodef Shalom in Falls Church, Va.; Marc Schneier, a co-founder of the Foundation for Ethnic Understanding; and Steven Foster of Congregation Emanuel in Denver.

Other faiths represented at the event included Muslim, Buddhist, Protestant and Roman Catholic.